Center fill tube for silos



Feb. 19, 1963 E. A. MILLER CENTER FILL TUBE FOR SILOS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 23, 1960 ENS/LAGE E/f Mil/8f 1N VENTOR. BY @my am,

Feb. 19, 1963 E, A, M|| ER 3,078,127

CENTER FILL TUBE FOR sILos Filed Aug. 23, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lll Ell' /W//er 1N VEN TOR.

IWW/y Mu United States Patent O 3,078,127 CENTER FILL TUBE FOR SILOS Eli A. Miller, RR. 2, Topeka, Ind. Filed Aug. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 51,442 Claims. (Cl. 302--60) The present invention relates to means, broadly speaking, which is expressly designed and constructed to assist one in filling the storage space of a silo with ensilage and has more particular reference to a tube or sleeve which insures the proper delivery of the ensilage.

More specifically, the invention has to do with a readily insertable and removable sleeve or tube which lends itself to properuse in conjunction with a silo of a type which is provided at the center of its roof with a marinetype filler hatch.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention a substantially rectangular sheet of proper gauge galvanized sheet metal is bent upon itself between its ends to form an open-ended split sleeve or tube. The upper end is provided with lugs or ears to which end-hooks on a bail may be connected to facilitate handling the sleeve or tube.

The simple split sleeve or tube can then be slipped down through the customary central filler neck at the apex of the conical roof, said tube being provided with circumferentially spaced attaching and retaining hooks which engage over the upper lip of the neck.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a View which is generally diagrammatic in nature and which shows, without detail, a suitable silo having a conical roof with an apical filler neck, portion of the Wall of the silo being broken away to show the ensilage, and the insertable center fill tube being in position.

FIG. 2 is a View of a fragmentary nature showing a center lill tube constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating the details of how it is applied and used.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the center fill sleeve or tube by itself.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the 16 gauge galvanized sheet metal from which the tube is fashioned.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an attaching and supporting hook.

FIG. 6 is a View on an enlarged scale taken on the plane of the line 6 6 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIG. l, the silo is denoted by the numeral 8. Without attempting to be limiting in this explanation it may be explained here that the silo, with which the attachment or invention has been utilized, is known on the market as a Harvestore. As already implied this is a type of a structure which is built with a marine-type filler hatch in the center of the roof and this makes for installation of the center fill tube and thus adapts the filler neck to fill the storage space of the silo properly. The truncated or generally conical roof is denoted at 10 and the central opening is surrounded by an upstanding filler neck 12. The idea here is to distribute the ensilage as it is delivered into the silo from the usual ensilage cutter and elevator, components of which are denoted generally diagrammatically at 14 and 16 the latter having a gooseneck 18 and a discharge spout at 20. Instead of allowing the ensilage to spread haphazardly in the space, that is, the

3,078,127 Patented Feb. 19, 1963 storage space of the silo, the hatch (not shown) is removed and the insertable and removable center fill tube or sleeve is installed. This sleeve is denoted generally by the numeral 22 and it is vertically elongated and may be said to be a split sleeve or tube. The edge on the split side are denoted at 24 and these are spaced apart and they allow some slight yielding and in fact, the inherent tension of the galvanized sheet metal may be such as to cause the edges 24 to spread apart and to assist in 4holding the sleeve in place. The upper front corner portions are mitered as at 26. Diametrically opposite portions 28 of the upper edge portion 30 are provided with upstanding apertured ears or lugs 32. These lugs are .riveted securely in place as at 34 and the projecting apertured ends serve to accommodate the inwardly bent terminal hooks 36 on the free ends of the U-shaped handling and carrying bail or handle 38. Cleats 40 are riveted or otherwise secured in place as at 42 and are circumferentially spaced and the upper ends thereof are bent down to provide attaching and supporting hooks. These hooks are simply engaged over the lip of the filler neck 12 in the manner shown so that the open-ended sleeve is thus suspended in axial alignment with the storage space for the silage A. With the distributing and guiding sleeve in place, the stream B gravitates and is centralized and consequently the incoming silage is piled up in a conical manner as shown. In other words, it builds up in the cone-like shape illustrated in FIG. 1. It has been found that where the material falls it usually forms a so-called hard-spot and this has proven that if the hard-spot is axial or at the center the unloading arm (not shown) Works with ease. On the other hand, if the material enters and piles up and the hard-spot is off-center it is difficult for the unloading arm to go through it. Consequently, by causing the material to fall to the center and cone-up in filling the silo, the unloading or feeding out step is easier to cope with because of the uniform unloading which, with this invention is insured.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. For use in conjunction with a silo having an ensilage storage space and a truncated conical roof provided with an apical inlet surrounded by an exposed constantly accessible upstanding filler neck, a readily insertable and removable ensilage guide and centralizing member adapted to be inserted and iittingly located in said filler neck, said member being in the form of a readily applicable and removable attachment, an upper end of ysaid member extending above the inlet of said neck and the lower end thereof depending when in use into the upper portion of said storage space, and wherein said member cornprises a tube having a lengthwise slot along one side, the edges of the slot being in spaced parallelism and said tube being radially expansible and contractible.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said tube is provided at its upper accessible end with a carrying bail having end portions thereof pivotally connected to diametrically opposite portions of said upper accessible end.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and wherein said tube is essentially circular in cross-section and, by reason of the slot therein, is 0f a cross-sectional dimension slightly less than a full circle, said upper accessible end having an exterior portion thereof below the end provided at circumferentially spaced accessible places with attaching and retaining hooks, said hooks being hung over the upper edge portion of said neck.

4. For use in conjunction with a truncated conical type silo roof having a centralized ensilage storage space below the plane of the roof and wherein a constantly exposed filler neck is accessible, a center till attachment for said iiller neck comprising a radially expansible and contractible open ended ill and centering tube split vertically along one side, said tube being elongated and insertable into said filler neck with an upper portion thereof adapted to project above the mouth of the neck, and a lower portion adapted to project well down into the storage space of the silo, said tube being made of galvanized sheet metal having inherent resilient properties, said tube having an upper end portion provided with upstanding lugs, and a carrying bail providing a handle and having end portions hingedly connected to their respective lugs.

5. The structure dened in claim 4 and wherein circumferentially spaced cleats are ixedly secured to an exterior surface of the median portion of said tube, said cleats having downbent supporting hooks at upper ends and said hooks being adapted to engage over an edge of the neck in a manner which assists in retaining the tube in operative position within the contines of the neck.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 878,342 Campbell Feb. 4, 1908 963,583 Kennel July 5, 1910 1,199,198 Martin Sept. 26, 1916 1,284,081 Fitzpatrick Nov. 5, 1918 1,437,459 Westfall Dec. 5, 1922 1,659,456 Brown Feb. 14, 1928 1,923,460 Sands Aug. 22, 1933 2,523,381 Lindemeier Sept. 26, 1950 2,557,977 Knol lune 26, 1951 2,652,288 Sands Sept. 15, 1953 

1. FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SILO HAVING AN ENSILAGE STORAGE SPACE AND A TRUNCATED CONICAL ROOF PROVIDED WITH AN APICAL INLET SURROUNDED BY AN EXPOSED CONSTANTLY ACCESSIBLE UPSTANDING FILLER NECK, A READILY INSERTABLE AND REMOVABLE ENSILAGE GUIDE AND CENTRALIZING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED AND FITTINGLY LOCATED IN SAID FILLER NECK, SAID MEMBER BEING IN THE FORM OF A READILY APPLICABLE AND REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT, AN UPPER END OF SAID MEMBER EXTENDING ABOVE THE INLET OF SAID NECK AND THE LOWER END THEREOF DEPENDING WHEN IN USE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID STORAGE SPACE, AND WHEREIN SAID MEMBER COMPRISES A TUBE HAVING A LENGTHWISE SLOT ALONG ONE SIDE, 